Jon Stewart Escapes via Zeppelin

You don't see this every night on TV.

On a segment of the Colbert Report, if you watch closely, you'll see Jon Stewart make off with stacks of cash (that Colbert wants back) via Zeppelin.

Frankly, I think Colbert needs his own Zeppelin.

Colbert, we can help. Really.

Skip to about 3:30 in the video for the portion of the segment with the airship escape.

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Pressure Testing Longerons

Testing of the aluminum longerons is now complete, and they all tested good. There are 39 longeron pressure test points which are located inside the ship. When pressure checks out correctly, it indicates structural integrity of the section (ie, no cracks, holes or fractures).

Annual Maintenance Underway

Our annual inspection is underway, and the helium is now drained from the ship. Before that, the ship was prepared for the drain by removing the engines and fins, and then supporting the ship from below with braces attached to hard points on the frame.

So far, so good! We are on schedule.

This year we also have a large amount of decal work to do. In addition to removing the former brand, we will be applying a new brand! Can't wait!

Boeing Does Digital Skywriting Right

These guys have style.

Last week Boeing took a 787 out for a 19 hour test flight, and wrote the following "digital message" in the "virtual sky" over a good section of the US.

You can find more details at the FlightAware web site.

Video: Airship Adventure over Orange County

Airship Adventure Over Orange County from Rob Elliott on Vimeo.

This past weekend we did a 2nd test flight over Orange County, Irvine, the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks and Lake Irvine areas. Rob Elliot created this video of his experience on that flight.

This particular flight departed from Long Beach Airport and was a 2 hour tour.

To really do it the OC way, you can imagine this would be best done from the former MCAS El Toro facilities at Orange County Great Park. In that case it could be a choice of a 45 minute tour north (including Lake Irvine) or a 45 minute tour south (out to the sea).

Thanks for sharing!